agrammatism
Pronunciation: ay-GRAM-uh-tizm
A language disorder characterized by simplified grammar, omission of function words, and telegraphic speech patterns.
Full Definition
Agrammatism is a hallmark feature of Broca's aphasia characterized by the systematic omission or misuse of grammatical elements in speech production and comprehension. Patients typically omit function words (articles, prepositions, auxiliary verbs) while preserving content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives), resulting in telegraphic speech patterns such as 'man... walk... dog.' Agrammatism also affects syntactic comprehension, particularly for complex sentence structures involving passive voice or embedded clauses. This condition reflects damage to neural networks responsible for grammatical processing, typically involving Broca's area and surrounding regions. Assessment of agrammatism is crucial for differential diagnosis and treatment planning in aphasia rehabilitation.
Usage
Usage note: Not to be confused with apraxia of speech or dysarthria.
In Context
- "The patient's agrammatism was evident in utterances like 'boy... throw... ball' instead of complete sentences." — Speech-language pathology report
- "Agrammatism severity correlated with lesion size in the left frontal cortex." — Research article